Official blog of the American Junior Golf Association

June 2013

06/30/2013

WORD FROM THE WISE: During the David Leadbetter Clinic, Dr. Bob Winters and Trevor
Anderson gave players noteworthy pointers that touched upon the psychological
and physical aspect of the game of golf.

Dr. Bob Winters, a sports psychologist and performance
consultant with the Leadbetter Academy, advised players to be aware of their
thoughts and emotions when preparing to hit a shot, as the mental routine is
just as important as the physical.

The game of golf is not just a test of physical stamina, but
also a challenge to preserve a mental focus through each shot.

Trevor Anderson, who assists players at the Leadbetter Academy,
gave our players a few tips to avoid the typical misconceptions of a normal
“warm up” prior to teeing off.

“Hitting 30 golf balls on the range before your round is not a
warm up,” Anderson said. “Without properly stretching and stimulating your
muscles those 30 swings are actually negative movement that will influence your
performance”

COMPETITORS AND SISTERS: A
photo capturing sisters Maria
Andreina Merchan and
Maria Alejandra Merchan, who like Team
1, traveled from Weston, Fla., down to ChampionsGate, Fla., for the GolfPride /
David Leadbetter Junior Classic. Going into a one-hole sudden-death playoff for
the Girls Division championship, Maria Alejandra Merchan intensely watched her older sister with hands clasped together. As the
winning putt dropped into the cup, champion Maria Andreina Merchan, who just won her first AJGA event, was greeted on No.10 green with
arms open wide for a heartwarming hug by her little sister.

KUDOS TO OUR VOLUNTEERS: The
volunteers at the Golf Pride / David Leadbetter Junior Classic were a
well-oiled machine. Over 25 volunteers, at a course without a membership to
draw from, assisted daily to help make the tournament run smoothly. Water
rovers distributed water with a smile and timing stations volunteers were
always active to assist.

Most
of the volunteers came from more than thirty minutes away just to help run a
junior golf event out of kindness and compassion. They didn't view it as a day
to help out; they genuinely enjoyed the experience in working with the juniors
and helping the AJGA.

There
are too many volunteers to thank individually, but the group at the Golf Pride
/ David Leadbetter Junior Classic was awesome, and the tournament would not
have been able to run the same without them.

THERE'S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: Connor O’Brien of Rowayton, Conn., made his AJGA career
debut at the Killington Junior Golf Championship. Not only was this his first AJGA tournament,
it was his first AJGA victory. “I was actually just trying to make the cut
coming into the tournament,” O’Brien said. “Suddenly I started to make a couple
birdies but I had no idea I would win.” Talk about making an entrance! Lita Guo
of Auckland, New Zealand, claimed her first champion title as well after an
intense sudden-death playoff with fellow competitor Jennifer Peng of San Diego.
Her victory was a comeback from her 2012 ninth-place finish at the Killington
Junior Golf Championship. Madison Glennie of Clearwater, Fla., made her first
hole-in-one during the final round on No. 13 with a solid nine-iron swing.
Glennie was the only competitor during the tournament to sink a hole-in-one.

(Madison Glennie pictured below)

CHISELED OUT OF ROCK: The Green Mountain National Golf Course cascades in the
middle of the Green Mountains of Vermont. The course is publically owned by the
city of Killington, Vt., and is consistently ranked among the top public golf courses
in Vermont by Northeast Golf Monthly.

LOOK OUT BELOW: Nos. 2 (photo below) and 12 begin
with a blind start with a dogleg thrown in to up the difficulty. Upon grabbing your
driver at the teeing ground it’s nothing but a mountainous vista, just be sure
to holler “fore!”

TWINS, TWINS EVERYWHERE: The
field at this year’s AJGA Junior at Penn State included two sets of twins. The
Cestone brothers and the O’Hara brothers participated in this week’s qualifier.
There were also several sets of siblings, including Mika and Seiya Liu and John
and Michael VanDerLaan.

ICE CREAM GALORE: The Berkey
Creamery at Penn State is located on the campus of Penn State University. It is
the largest on campus creamery in the U.S. It features flavors such as Peachy
Paterno and Peanut Butter Swirl. Each year 4.5 million pounds of milk pass
through its holding tanks.

AWARD WINNING GOLF SHOP: The
golf shop at the Penn State Golf Courses was voted one of the "100 Best Golf Shops" by Golf World
Business Magazine. The pro shop has a wide variety of brands as well as a fully
stocked online shop.

06/29/2013

FROM DOUBLE TROUBLE TO DOUBLE SUCCESS: On Monday at Robinson Ranch, two
tournament rounds took place at the same time. The first round of the AJGA
Junior at Robinson Ranch was played on the Mountain Course while the Nicole
Parker Foundation hosted a one-day fundraising tournament on the Valley Course.

MEET ELVIS: The Pro shop at Robinson Ranch
has a resident pet snake. It is a California king snake named Elvis who was
found three years ago next to the pro shop. The staff keeps him in a glass cage
to inform and remind people that snakes are prevalent, and although Elvis isn’t
dangerous, some of his kinsmen are.

GIVING BACK THROUGH SERVICE: Alison Lee, the No. 1 ranked girl
in the Polo Golf Rankings, volunteered at timing stations all three rounds this
week. Alison and her brother, Ryan worked timing stations on Nos. 8 and 11.
Alison has volunteered at this event for the past 5 years.

06/27/2013

The AJGA returns to Richland Country Club for the Bridgestone
Golf/Brandt Snedeker Music City Junior presented by Toyota. The course
challenged competitors with dramatic elevation changes and undulating greens. The
immaculate conditions provided an amazing backdrop for players and spectators
all week long.

HISTORICAL HOST: Richland Country Club, located in Brentwood, Tennessee is the
site the Battle of Nashville, a famous Civil War battle. The clubhouse displays
shelves of artifacts that were found on the course just next to where the No. 9
teeing area currently sits. The rock walls that line the course also dates back
to the Civil War.

A SHORT COMMUTE: There were 35 players from Tennessee at the tournament this
week including Boys Division Champion, Dawson Armstrong is from Brentwood,
Tennessee, the town that the tournament was played in. Armstrong is also one of
three that have made a verbal commitment to Vanderbilt University, just 20
minutes away from Richland Country Club. William Gordon and Alexandra
Farnsworth also plan to attend Vanderbilt.

A WEEK OF FIRSTS AND LASTS: This win marked the first for both the Boys Divison and the
Girls Division Champions. It was a special win for Teleri Hughes of Knoxville,
Tenn., because this is also her last AJGA tournament. She competed in the 2012
Bridgestone Golf/Brandt Snedeker Music City Junior Presented by Toyota and
finished seventh. Hughes plans to attend
University of Tennessee in the fall.

Many times I’ve talked about how much the AJGA relies on our
interns to help us run our events in the spring and summer. Between the crews
we send out on the road to the staff that comes to work every day at our
national headquarters in Braselton – we couldn’t do it without them.

What many people might not know about our intern staff is
that several of them had experiences with the AJGA many years before they found
themselves researching tournament history, setting tees early in the morning,
choosing tournament hole locations and writing post round recaps. Believe it or
not, the 2013 AJGA summer intern class boasts 11 AJGA alumni. Not that long
ago, the staff you see out there on the golf course, were on the other side of
the tournament – standing in line at registration, arriving early to second
round tee times for equipment surveys and working to earn stars and exemptions
to help their PBE status.

In honor of #ThrowbackThursday, I caught up with a few of
our AJGA alumni intern staff out on the road. I asked them a few questions about
their memories, experiences and advice to juniors that may want to work for the
AJGA.

(If
you’ve seen some of our interns out on the road this summer perhaps you can
identify them in these #ThrowbackThursday photos from their days as AJGA
members)

What’s
your favorite memory playing in AJGA events?

“My
favorite memory of playing in AJGA events was in a qualifier in Las Vegas. One
of my friends made it into a four-way playoff for the last spots. It was a four
for three playoff, and my friend teed off first and hit his drive about 40 yards
OB. Immediately, the three other players put their head covers back on their
drivers and pulled out irons. He didn’t make it, but it’s something we still
laugh about to this day.”

-Chris Ceman, Communications
Intern, Team 2

“My
favorite memory would be traveling to Pinehurst with my Dad. It was a great
experience to be able to stay on the golf course at Pine Needles.”

-Ryan Flanagan,
Operations Intern, Team 4

What’s
one thing about AJGA tournaments that surprised you the most when you went to
the staff side after years as a member?

“I
had no idea how much work went into making every aspect of the events possible.
I loved getting Polo golf shirts and Titleist golf balls, and having cold towels
and water available throughout the course. I definitely felt like I was playing
in a top-notch event and now I see just how much is done to make all of that
possible and to give the juniors an amazing experience.”

-Tatum Briele,
Operations Intern, Team 4

“Going
from a player to an AJGA staff member, it surprised me to see how much the
tournament chairmen impact an event, how important volunteers are to a
tournament, and much detail and planning go into an event prior to the event
itself.”

-Alyssa Randolph,
Operations Intern 2012, Tournament Assistant 2013

What’s
one piece of advice you would give to a junior golfer that hopes to one day
work for the AJGA?

“My
advice to current juniors would be to utilize the skills that are required to
be a successful junior golfer such as hard work and perseverance. These
qualities are necessary to work for the AJGA. These skills and your golf
knowledge are a great combination when applying to work for the AJGA.”

-Tori Stock,
Operations Intern, Team 1

“It’s
a phenomenal experience and a great way to give back to an organization that
helped me obtain one of my goals of playing collegiate golf. This internship is
also a great networking tool for job seekers that are looking for jobs within
as well as outside the golf industry.”

-Michael Hicks,
Operations Intern, Team 5

I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing from some of our summer
intern staff. Remember that you can follow along with what they’re up to by
taking a look at the Summer Traveling Internship photo album on Facebook and
reading the “News & Notes” blogs that the communications staff posts from
each tournament site.

06/26/2013

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the
Arrowhead Junior at The Bluffs was a 54-hole stroke play competition played on
the par-73 course at The Bluffs Country Club & Resort. The event featured
62 boys and 24 girls, ages 12-18, from 16 states, and British Columbia. The
Boys Division played the course at 7,221 yards while the Girls Division played
the course at 6,214 yards.

FIRST TASTE OF THE AJGA: Located 30 miles north of Baton Rouge, The Bluffs Country
Club & Resort is hosting its first AJGA event in 2013. Players from 16
states and British Columbia flocked to the venue that has hosted a Southeastern
Conference Championship, a United States Senior Challenge, and a U.S. Open
qualifier.

A LEGEND'S TOUCH: The Bluffs Country Club & Resort was designed by the
great Arnold Palmer. Palmer first saw the future site of The Bluffs from a
helicopter’s view alongside property owner Harold Leone. He saw so much promise
in the layout that he even agreed to play the first ever round on The Bluffs.
The King went on to shoot 69 that day.

HITTIN' OFF THE BLUFFS: There was a great turnout for this week’s social activity!
Players stuck around to decompress after their rounds with the help of a DJ and
some Louisiana cooking. Meanwhile, players participated in a closest-to-the-pin
and a long drive contest, hitting golf balls off the bluff onto the makeshift green
and fairway set up by the staff.

Colton Blagrove of Slidell, La., participates in the closest-to-the-pin challenge.

06/24/2013

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the
Midwest Junior Players Championship is a 54-hole stroke play competition played
on the par-72 course at Mistwood Golf Club. The event featured 72 boys and 24
girls, ages 12-18, from 19 states, and three countries. The Boys Division
played the course at 6,794 yards while the Girls Division played the course at
6,023 yards.

Débuts

There were several ‘firsts’ at this year’s Midwest Junior
Players Championship. Mistwood Golf Club hosted its first AJGA event! The
18-hole course surrounds a 65-acre lake, which challenges golfers particularly
on the back nine. The Chicagoland-area course recently added a Performance
Center overlooking the driving range. The spacious stone building housed our
headquarters as well as the awards ceremony.

The Girls Division champion, Maria Vesga of Piedecuesta,
Colombia captured her first AJGA win! Vesga has played in other AJGA events but
never took home the big hardware. Vesga took the lead in the second round and
saw it through for the win with a 2-over-par 218.

Local flare

There were 44 juniors from Illinois who participated in the
Midwest Junior Players Championship, including some of the top players in the
state. There was also local media at Mistwood Golf Club tracking said top
Illinois players.

Down to the wire

The Boys Division champion had to be decided by a one-hole
playoff. Daniel Wetterich of Cincinnati and Brendan O’Reilly of Hinsdale, Ill.,
were tied after the final round and therefore entered into a playoff on No.18. Both juniors had less than six foot
putts for par opportunities and Wetterich sunk his for the win.

06/21/2013

The No. 9 and No. 18 holes at Weston Hills Country Club –
Tour Course are beauties. They’re long, have water protecting one side of the
fairway and require precise iron shots to find the green. Well, at least the
right part of it, as the pair of greens are conjoined into one mammoth of a
putting surface.

The green itself stretches 180 feet and is a daunting test
to putt across. However, in tournament play at the Under Armour® / Steve Marino
Championship players weren’t ever faced with that task, as the opposite side of
the green for both holes was played as mandatory relief.

Hint of History

Weston Hills Country Club hosted the PGA Honda Classic from
1992-1995 and the LPGA Chrysler Plymouth Tournament of Champions in 1997. The
Robert Trent Jones Jr. design contains two 18-hole golf courses, the Tour
Course and the Players course. The tour course is a composition of deep
bunkers, intimidating water hazards and thick rough.

Ready to spar

Shyanne Lovan of Wellington., Fla., may be a golfer, but
that doesn’t mean she doesn’t come prepared for a bout. Her 5-wood cover is
actually a boxing glove that she found at a lost and found at a local golf
course, something that seems to happen to her a lot.

“I find almost all of my head covers on the course,”
Shyanne Lovan said. “I’ve never actually bought one.”

Clutch Putts

Dylan Kim of Winter Garden Fla., trailed by one shot
entering the final round, but thanks to a pair of clutch putts on her final two
holes, she ended up with the championship.

On No. 18, Kim faced a 20-foot putt to potentially force
a playoff, and she drilled it, tying her with Daniela Darquea of Quito,
Ecuador.

The pair moved to No. 1 for the playoff where both
players stuck their approach shots on the par-5 to 15 feet. Kim stepped over putt
and drained a bending 15-footer putting the pressure on Darquea. The
Ecuadorian’s putt came up just short, giving Kim the title.

“I wasn’t feeling nervous at all,” Kim said. “It didn’t
really hit me until after the round. I’m just happy I was putting well, I felt
really comfortable on the greens.

High School Connection

Michael Heda, Manuel Kent and Juan Pablo Arrazola come
from different places -- Heda, New York, Kent, Paraguay and Arrazola, Colombia
– but the three are great friends, with the connection stemming from a local
high school in Weston, Florida, Cypress Bay and golf.

All three play for the high school varsity golf squad and
now they’re competing in AJGA events together. Kent finished 32nd,
Heda, 26th and Arrazola 15th.

Heda will attend George Washington University in the fall
to play golf, but, more than likely, Arrazola
and Kent will be back at the Under Armour/Steve Marino Championship next year ready
to tee it up.

06/20/2013

The tournament is hosted by Stacy Lewis, the No. 2 ranked
LPGA player in the world, who was a four-time All-American for the University
of Arkansas. The KMPG Stacy Lewis Junior Open is scheduled to take place less than 10
miles away from the LPGA’s NW Arkansas Championship, beginning the following
weekend. Lewis had held the No. 1 spot in the Rolex Rankings for four
consecutive weeks early in 2013, and now trails only Inbee Park for the top
spot.

One for Arkansas

The KMPG Stacy Lewis Junior Open is the only AJGA event
taking place in Arkansas, giving players from the Natural State a chance to put
themselves on the map. The KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior Open is a second-year event, which won the AJGA
Newcomer Tournament of the Year award in 2012. Of the 96 tournament players in
the field, 18 are from the state of Arkansas.

Low Scores, Low Prices

Along with KPMG, one of the tournament sponsors for the
tournament is the Bentonville Convention & Visitors Bureau. The host
facility, Lost Springs Golf & Athletic Club, is located near the heart of
Bentonville County, home to the first Walmart store, and now home to the
Walmart Museum!

Worldwide Event

The KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior Open has attracted talent from
all over the world. One player from Canada, three players born in Mexico, and
one player from Argentina are teeing it up in Rogers, Arkansas, against the rest of
the field. The combined distance between Rogers, Arkansas and the home cities of
the foreign-born players is a staggering 10,097 miles!